One Mood's Expression

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



See, Lord, fanatics all arrayed
For revolution!
To foil their villainous crusade
Unsheathe again the sacred blade
Of persecution.

What though through long disuse 't is grown
A trifle rusty?
'Gainst modern heresy, whose bone
Is rotten, and the flesh fly-blown,
It still is trusty.

Of sterner stuff thine ancient foes,
Unapprehensive,
Sprang forth to meet thy biting blows;
Our zealots chiefly to the nose
Assume the offensive.

Then wield the blade their necks to hack,
Nor ever spare one.
Thy crowns of martyrdom unpack,
But see that every martyr lack
The head to wear one.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

29 sec read
96

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAAB CDCCD EFEEF GBGGB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 561
Words 98
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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